Group think and Politics

We conservatives (actually I consider myself more of a tea-party libertarian) get called a lot of names, but whooo unto us if we should actually call our political opposites anything other than “brother”. I am exaggerating here of course to make my point. I have many friends who are liberal and in fact I’m at odds with my own family (who I love but also who have also used those same epitaphs at me) and I respect those of opposite opinion, especially when I’m sure they are merely misguided and uninformed of facts that are readily available to all of us if we take the time to research them. Any time we make broad generalizations there will always be exceptions to the rule.

When I say that the ranks of the tea-party within the republican ranks are swelling with renegade independent thinkers of many ethnic groups, yes there are exceptions that continue to hold to their old fashioned, “traditional” thinking and mindset. I applaud those tenacious individuals on both sides (yes even some blue dog dems who do not consider themselves “progressive” (code for Wilsons, then Roosevelts and now Obamas anti-constitutionalists at the turn of the century to present) or just plain liberals. I’ll even admit and have written before that Obama would not have gotten OBL if it wasn’t for the tenaciousness of Leon Paneta and Hillary Clinton (someone I positively can’t stand, did something good?) who really orchestrated this event and didn’t get the green light from Obama (Valerie Jared was performing her usual “blocking” action) until helos were already launched and he had no choice really.

As a tea-party member I am against any, and I mean ANY politicians who want to tax us to death and increase an already bloated US Government and I want certain powers and authority RETURNED to the States where the Constitution says they belong.

Here in the South it is sometimes hard to tell who a Democrat/Liberal is and who a Republican/Conservative is and the voters push them hard for answers without mercy. It has been usual practice down here in local elections that a republican will switch to the democratic side just because his/her path in the primaries appears easier to election day. This happened en-masse during the Reagan years when it became “cool” in the south to be a Reagan republican, especially when his programs began to bear fruit in the second term. They were called Dixie-crats prior to that since many “straddled the line” between conservative and liberal and those lines were hard to discern. This still goes on today to a certain extent. In fact during the last election I voted for a local Democrat only because in a discussion I asked him certain questions and then turned to him and asked “Are you sure you are a Democrat?”.

All this aside we have all heard and seen polls produced saying that all Blacks will vote Democratic and all Hispanics will vote Democratic. Besides being pretty racist, these polls do not show the whole picture. The real picture is that despite being called traitors and other unflattering names many brave, intelligent, sharp blacks and Hispanics have joined the tea-party ranks. I have two publishers and friends I met at CPAC, Ron and William who are not only black but are both very intelligent and politically savvy individuals whom I respect quite a bit. One (Ron) in fact publishes the Tea-party Review nationally. Of course in past elections we had that feisty and irrepressible Alan Keyes who I loved to watch in debates and wished he had gone further in the process. Another activist who was with Glenn Beck on the mall when I was there was Dr. Aveda King, Tea-party supporter and niece of MLK (who was also a republican). Herman Cain was introduced at CPAC 2010 as a prospective candidate for President was a very smart and sharp individual from Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Niger Innis. Let’s not forget Col Alan West who many want as VP on Romney’s ticket and who is constantly at odds with the congressional black caucus who continually belittle him and his intellect and courage. I read many black conservative authors and my favorite is Dr Thomas Sowell who constantly amazes me with his intelligent grasp of the whole situation. I also enjoy reading and listening to Charles Pain (no ….no….NOT from the “House of Payne” get away from that idiot tube/TV). Lets also not forget Condalezza Rice our former Secretary of State and academic. Does this sound like the tea-party or republican party at least is the “white boys” club liberals try and make it out to be?

What I admire is each of these individuals has broken away from “group” or “ethnic” traditional thinking and thought out problems on their own. I was horrified at the “dirty tricks” employed to get my candidate (Herman) out of the race. The unsubstantiated accusations were the same thing Rom Emmanuel did to Obama’s Senate opponent that also backed out at the last minute to save his family from embarrassment. Papers did not report that Cains secretary of decades said if something was going on she’d know about it and when he was on the Radio 760 AM out of Atlanta, he insisted on broadcasting from his house to care for an ailing wife. He wouldn’t have had time for such insanity. Sounds like sour grapes, perhaps it is…….my column and I’m entitled. A good man wasted, but he is still out there campaigning, that’s how brave he is. My point being that each of these individuals have recounted how difficult it was for them to become conservative when their “eyes were opened” to reality instead of false dreams and the names and insults they were subjected to. But the Black voting block is showing signs of crumbling and more and more brave individuals are giving “independent” thought to the political process for the good of the country instead of doing what they’ve been told is right throughout many generations. It is however still considered “traitorous” in many black communities for an individual to have “independent” thought and not go along with the group.

Seeing these brave honorable individuals and what they’ve put up with, who am I to run from namecalling? I think they have shown me the way more than others in my life.

Hispanics can really fool pollsters. Many political pundits think all Hispanics are liberal and want “open borders”. Talk to a few and I think you’ll be surprised, especially the Cubans in Miami and many Mexican Hispanics that I know. They are a hard working people with pride and they quite frankly don’t like “line cutters” or people that may come over and take “their jobs” that they have worked so hard for. I think many of you will be surprised on really how many middle class (and that is a BIG group that worked hard to get there) Hispanics are quite conservative. Rubio in Florida and Cruz in Texas are new tea-party darlings for example.

We have many other ethnic groups also finding their place in conservative ranks that “rebel” against what I call “group-thinK”. We have Bobby Gindle in Louisiana as well as a host of others joining our ranks. I have studied the Group-Think phenonema in my doctoral dissertation in crisis decision-making. My study found that the longer someone thinks about a decision, the less “altruistic” (empathy for others) we are and the longer we wait the more prone we are to “group think” or worry about what others would do or what they would think of our decision. Bottom line is I cannot stand individuals who “parrot” others template issued opinions without thinking like so many “lemmings” headed toward the cliff of national disaster.

I and others in the Tea-party are behind ousting Jeff Miller (R-Fl), but that is what the Tea-party is all about, we will go after and try to defeat a worthless Republican as well as a Democrat depending upon their ability to represent the voters wishes.

This is perhaps the most dangerous turning point in the history of this great country and the voters want the government to shrink and become more responsive to the real needs of its citizens and not autocratic and despotic as it has become. This has been the most “oppressive” regime/administration in our History and it must stop before it becomes too late to reverse our course toward this cliff of oppression. To use a “Bortz” term… “Ceasar” Obamus has issued over 900 executive orders with most having to do with going “around” congress. We need people up there to really defend the constitution and put a stop to this.

I do not and have never advocated violence. The violent nature of the Union “mobs” we’ve seen lately in Wisconsin and backing the “occupy” movement tells me as well as the Chicago Mob Political tactics being used that we must defeat Ceasar Obamus (Yes I know someone else used it and I don’t claim it, but I love it….) and his henchmen this November or we will not recognize this country in 2016 if I’m still alive. I’ve heard rumors of martial law and his March 2012 Executive order giving him total power to even ration food and collect arms and ammunition and tax, scares me. The government seems to be preparing for martial law for any excuse. I can’t be convinced that the purchase of 22 million rounds of “hollow point” are meant for training for all homeland defense is innocent. (for those of you who don’t know guns and ammunition…..every veteran will tell you “hollow point” rounds are for strictly anti-personnel and cause major damage to the intended target).

I’ve been called racist, while I’ve backed Keyes and then Cain for President and have children of mixed ethnicity as well as wonderful grandchildren and attended school in SW DC as only one of two or three white children in the entire school and got along. I’ve been accused of advocating violence when the opposite is true. I have however taken the oath as a military man and leader and a government worker many times in my lifetime and I DO take my oath seriously “to defend and protect the constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC”, something many of our leaders take litely (too litely!). I have only asked individuals to “keep their head on a swivel” and stay “alert” as I will and my military training taught me Americans never fire first and I refuse to believe that our honorable military would back any politician of either left or right wing in any “trumped up” Martial Law takeover bid , but I of course would honor my oath and join any and all on the barricades to be ready to defend my land and family and RETURN FIRE…only if that dreadful day ever occurred.

Our only hope is coming this November, please no matter who you vote for VOTE, for then at least you will be able to say you tried your best. The Tea-Party is Marching in the millions at the grass roots level this November….Join us.

I love my country, my family and I thank God every day that I was born in a land BLESSED BY GOD.